My instrument

Harpsichords can be big or small, red, black or yellow and -yes- good or bad. Mine is big, red, heavy and VERY beautiful. It was build by Titus Crijnen in 1998 after an instrument from 1638 that can now be admired in a collection in Edinburgh.

Some info for experts: 2 manuals, 2x8´, 1x4´, range from F-f´´´ (but without an F# in the bass)

To get an idea of the sound:

F. Couperin, Prélude in d-moll

To my great sorrow the harpsichord is still not always taken seriously as a musical instrument. At least partly decades of bad instrument building are to be blamed for this injustice. Anything older than twenty years with pedals bearing the name Wittmeyer, Neupert or Sperrhake falls into this category.

Today there are countless builders attempting to recreate those beautiful instruments that the composers of the past so loved.

For more information on harpsichords:

A Brief History of the Harpsichord 

The same with an emphasis on flemish instruments

Andf while we´re talking let´s finish off another prejudice: harpsichordists are not automatically also pianists. And whoever has had the pleasure of witnessing a great pianist rape a poor little harpsichord knows, that this also counts the other way around.